Expanding shelf clothes rack



J. D; MAcKlEv 3,499,541y v EXPANDING SHELF CLOTHES ARACK l Nimh 1o,v A1970 Filed 001:. 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mardi 10, 1970 J. D. MACKIE 3,499,541

EXPANDINGL SHELF CLOTHES RACK Filed Oct. 5. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 10o faz s @A f 6 f f@ 7468 I T e 4a l fw o Z-f /N/f from JAMES D. MACKIE,

United States Patent O 3,499,541 EXPANDING SHELF CLOTHES RACK James D. Mackie, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Lee-Rowan Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Oct. S, 1967, Ser. No. 673,141 Int. Cl. A47f 7/00, 5/10 U.S. Cl. 211-134 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE By means of this invention there has been provided a clothes rack which is simple to assemble and can be used for expansion purposes. The rack has a telescopic frame, which is simply adjusted by an adjustment screw. A special feature in the construction of the rack is the anchoring of telescoped tube sections through bending of the tube sections which anchors the internal element within the external element and eliminates any further fabrication.

The rack is further provided with expanding shelves in the nature of a hat rack and shoe rack which are iitted on the top and the bottom portions of the frame. The hat and shoe racks are similar in construction and are provided for expansion through special guiding relationship of the left and right hand portions of the shoe and hat racks with the frame of the clothes rack providing a medial support for the respective hat and shoe racks as they are expanded.

The clothes rack is simple to assemble and expand or contract as the need arises. The fabrication is rugged and yet relatively inexpensive in view of the special anchoring telescopic construction of the frame members.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description hereinbelow and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a View in front elevation of the garment rack;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation taken from the right side of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2 showing the internal construction of the top portion of the rack;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2 showing the internal construction of the bottom portion of the rack;

FIGURE 5 is an expanded view in front elevation taken similarly to FIGURE 1 but showing the rack in the fully expanded position;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the expanded shelf rack;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 7 7 of FIGURE 6;

3,499,541 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 "ice FIGURE 8 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 8 8 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 9 9 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE l0 is an enlarged View in section taken on the line 10-10 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 11 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view showing the construction of the free end of the left hand section of the rack.

The clothes rack of this invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 20 in FIGURES l, 2 and 5. As there shown, it is comprised of a frame 22, supported at both sides by wheel bearing base members 24. The frame has expandable shelves comprised of a bottom shoe rack 26 and a hat rack 28 at the top.

The frame 22, as shown in FIGURE 1, is comprised of a left hand vertical support -comprised of a plurality of members telescoping Within one another, identified by the reference numeral 30. Likewise, the right hand portion of the frame has a plurality of vertically telescopic members 32. At the left hand portion of the frame the top vertical support member 34 is bent to a L-shape and receives within it a telescopic tube 36, which forms a portion of the top of the frame. These two members, as shown in FIGURE 3, are formed at a right angle, such that the inner most member 36 is firmly anchored requiring no further fabrication.

The top of the frame is further provided with an elongated L-shaped tubular member 38, which at the right end iits on the top of the vertical support members 32 and at the left end receives in telescopic relation the smaller tube member 36. A thumb screw 40 is received within a mounting element 42 in threaded, relation and is adjustable into engagement withtube 36 in order that adjustment positions may be provided in the telescopic adjustment of the frame.

The bottom of the frame is constructed in like fashion to the top member. Thus, the lower right hand portion of the frame member 44 is bent over at right angles and receives in anchoring relation a smaller diameter tube 46 at the bottom and is connected to the right hand vertical support members 32. An elongated tubular member 48 is bent at right angles and is connected to the left hand vertical support members 30 at one end and receives in telescopic relation the smaller diameter tube 46 at the other end.

The base member 24 is formed in a U-shaped configuration and by means of a bracket 50, forming no part of this invention, per se, is connected to the frame members 44 and 48 at opposite sides of the frame. Wheels 52 at the bottom of the base member provide for moving the clothes rack to any desired floor positions.

The bottom shelf or shoe rack 26 is best shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5 11. The rack is expandable through intermeshing of a left hand section 60 and a right hand section 62. Both of the sections are supported at opposite ends of the clothes rack by vertical support rods 64 and 66, respectively, which t Within openings in members 44 and 48. ISWaged stop elements 68 rest upon the top of the holes in the support ymembers to support the rack in spaced relation above the top horizontal telescoping members 46 and 48. A laterally extending guide rod 70, as best shown in FIGURE 8, is welded to the left end of the right hand tray 62 and is adapted to ride upon the top of the member `48 through a guide portion 72 formed in the, member.

The left hand section 60 of the shoe rack is shown in plan view in FIGURE 6 where it is seen to be comprised of transverse end members 74 and 76 connected by a plurality of longitudinal stringer elements 78. The end member 76, as best shown in FIGURES 9 and l1,

is connected to all the stringer elements 78 by weldments 80. A loop `82 is formed at the outsides of the endmember 76 which engages with the outermost stringers of the right hand section of the hat rack as will be later described to provide a guided arrangement and to prevent disengagement. The loops 82 are bent over to provide an end y84 leaving a constricted gap 86 to provide a guide way for the outermost stringers of the right hand tray section. The top of the guide loop 82 overlies the outermost stringers of the right hand section to prevent their riding out of engagement.

The right hand section 62 of the shoe rack is best shown in FIGURES 3, 6, 9 and l0. As there shown, it is comprised of end members 90 and.70 connected by stringers 94. The stringers 94 are secured at 70 by weldments 96. The end member 70 provides a guide or support for the stringers 78 of the left hand rack section when the two sections are telescoped together or away from one another for expansion,

The top shelf or hat rack 28 is best shown in FIGURES l, 3 and 5. It is comprised of a left hand section 100 and a right hand section 102 which are identical in construction with previously described sections 62 and 60, respectively. The same reference numerals are employed.

USE

tube 36 within the vertical section 34 at the left side of thel rack and the adjustment screw 40 is tightened at the desired position of rack expansion. It will be understood that the rack may be expanded or closed together as desired.

The hat rack is simply connected by merely inserting the vertical support members 64 and 66 within the respective openings in the members 34 and 38 so that the rack is supported upon the top of the clothes rack frame with support member 70 resting upon member 38. When the clothes rack is expanded by loosening the adjustment nut 40, the clothes rack may be pulled apart or closed together to any desired position of adjustment. ln this operation the left hand section of the shoe rack has its stringers 78 positioned upon the end member 70 of the right hand section so that they ride upon it. The end member 76 of the left hand section rests upon stringers 94 and the juxtaposition of the stringers of the two sections provides for complete glided' arrangement. The end member and lateral guide and support rod 70, through its bearing member 72, positions the entire medial'portion of the shoe rack upon the longitudinal extending frame member 38 for support.

The top hat rack with its sections 100 and 102 is assembled and operates in the same identical fashion as the previously described shoe rack.

After assembly, the clothes rack may be loaded with hats on the hat rack or other articles and likewise shoes and similar articles may be placed upon the bottom shoe rack. Garments are hung upon the top portion of the clothes rack in conventional fashion through the use of hangers and the like, which are supported upon the members 36 and 38.

Various changes and modifications may be made Within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as dened by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A clothes rack having a frame comprising a base, a pair of vertical supports, top and bottom horizontal support members connected at opposite ends to said vertical supports, means for adjusting the length of said horizontal support members and adjusting the spacing between said vertical supports comprising a top horizontal support element telescopically receivable within a hollow horizontal support element having an adjustment screw adapted to bear against said support element, the top support element being telescopically received in anchored relation within a tubular support member which is bent at right angles to form a shoulder joining the vertical support to a horizontal support, and a pair of base members connected to and supporting the frame upon the floor.

2. A clothes rack having a frame comprising a base, a pair of vertical supports, top and bottom horizontal support members connected at opposite ends to said vertical supports, means for adjusting the length of said horizontal support members and adjusting the spacing between said vertical supports, at least one of the top and bottom horizontal support members being provided with a traylike rack spaced above said support member, said traylike rack being comprised of a pair of expandable sections connected at their outer ends to the opposite sides of the frame and engaging each other at their inner ends, one of said sections being provided at its inner end with a support element resting in guided relation on the horizontal support member of the frame, and said tray sections being comprised of a pair of end members connected by a plurality of lateral stringers, the innermost end of a first tray overlying the innermost end of a second tray, and guide means comprising loops in the end of one of said trays receiving in guided relation the stringers of the engaging tray, and a' pair of base members connected to and supporting the frame upon the lioor.

3. The clothes rack of claim 2 in which the end member of the first tray has a terminal loop portion overlying the outermost stringers of the second tray to prevent disengagement ofthe trays.

4. The clothes rack of claim 2 in which the second tray is provided at its inner end with a support element resting in guided relation on the horizontal support member of the frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,748,955 6/1956 Anselmo 211-178 2,793,764 5/1957 Stork 211-178 2,932,408 4/1960 Jacobson 211-134 3,043,440 7/1962 Berlin 211-178 3,197,035 7/1965 Wolf 211-178 3,246,768 4/1966 Carlos 211-178 3,334,360 8/1967 Hoxeng 248-157 X 3,395,811 8/1968 Bellock 2ll178 NILE C. BYERS, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. C1. XR, 211-178 

